Every school’s median study score

Country schools punched well above their weight in this year’s VCE results. Search our database to see how all schools went.

Tyrrell College, near Sea Lake, was among the most improved schools. Picture: Rob Leeson.

Country schools, many escaping some of the disruptive lockdowns of Melbourne schools, have punched well above their weight in this year’s VCE results.

The median study score of every school has been revealed, showing how each campus’ entire cohort performed.

* Note: For the full report on senior secondary completion and achievement, go to the VCAA website. If data headers are not visible in the database (above) after a search, refresh this page or type in a new search term to restore.

After an extraordinary year of school disruption where campuses were twice closed from the pandemic, the class of 2020 celebrated receiving their final results on Wednesday.

The effect of fires and coronavirus was assessed for every pupil, with teachers getting a greater input over students’ scores by offering views on what they should have earned before the disasters.

The most impacted COVID-19 schools showed mixed results year-on-year.

East Preston Islamic College recorded a drop of 2 points to a median study score of 21; Al-Taqwa remained the same (27); as did Carey (33); while Keilor Downs boosted its result by one point (30).

Eighty four students did exams overseas as they were locked out.

Public country schools featured strongly in a list of the state’s top improvers, including St Arnaud Secondary College, Cobden Tech, Nathalia Secondary, Orbost Secondary, Tyrrell College in Sea Lake, Beechworth Secondary, Casterton Secondary, East Loddon P-12, Hopetoun P-12, and Rochester Secondary.

Geelong’s Gordon Institute, attended by adults, improved its median study score by 6 in one year.

Orbost Secondary improved its median study score from 24 to 29 in five years. It went up 2 year on year.

Many country schools, like Tyrrell College at Sea Lake, performed strongly in 2020. Picture: Rob Leeson.

SCHOOLS WITH MOST PERFECT SCORES OF 50

Haileybury — 22

Methodist Ladies’ College — 21*

Scotch — 21*

Melbourne High — 19

Caulfield Grammar — 16

Nossal High — 15

Loreto Mandeville — 15*

Xavier — 14

Haileybury Girls — 13

Balwyn High — 12*

St Kevin’s — 12

Penleigh and Essendon Grammar — 12

Melbourne Grammar — 11

Trinity Grammar — 11

Ballarat Clarendon — 10

Victorian College of the Arts — 10

McKinnon Secondary — 9

Suzanne Cory High School — 9*

Westbourne Grammar — 9

Yarra Valley Grammar — 9

John Monash Science School — 8

*Some students elected not to have their scores published on the honour roll. Only schools who contacted the Herald Sun or published updated results had their figures amended.

PERFECT SCORES BY SECTOR

Government — 179

Independent — 311

Catholic — 126

TOP 20 MOST IMPROVED SCHOOLS

Rated by the entire class’s median study score

Gordon Institute — 2016: 21 2020: 27 Change: +6

St Arnaud Secondary — 2016: 23 2020: 29 Change: +6

Cobden Tech — 2016: 20 2020: 25 Change: +5

Lighthouse Christian College (Cranbourne) — 2016: 26 2020: 31 Change: +5

Nathalia Secondary — 2016: 23 2020: 28 Change: +5

Orbost Secondary — 2016: 24 2020: 29 Change: +5

Tyrrell College — 2016: 29 2020: 34 Change: +5

Auburn High — 2016: 27 2020: 31 Change: +4

Bayswater Secondary — 2016: 21 2020: 25 Change: +4

Beechworth Secondary — 2016: 25 2020: 29 Change: +4

Bundoora Secondary — 2016: 21 2020: 25 Change: +4

Casterton Secondary — 2016: 29 2020: 33 Change: +4

Cranbourne East — 2016: 27 2020: 31 Change: +4

East Loddon P-12 — 2016: 30 2020: 34 Change: +4 *

Hopetoun P-12 — 2016: 27 2020: 31 Change: +4

Hume Anglican Grammar — 2016: 27 2020: 31 Change: +4

Northside Christian College — 2016: 27 2020: 31 Change: +4

Rochester Secondary — 2016: 27 2020: 31 Change: +4

Sirius College (Keysborough) — 2016: 26 2020: 30 Change: +4

Templestowe College — 2016: 26 2020: 30 Change: +4

DISADVANTAGE APPLIED FAIRLY: VCAA

VCAA chief executive Stephen Gniel said he was “very confident” the educational disadvantage for all Victorian students was “applied as per the intention”.

“What I’m confident about is seeing the results across the state, that gives me a level of confidence the system has worked,” he said.

The curriculum body had doubled the manpower in its call centre to speak to pupils with questions or concerns about their results through January.

Mr Gniel said it was “too early to tell” whether there would be more students querying their results than other years.

“I do want people to be reassured about the process and going into 2021 with their next steps,” he said.

“If we hadn’t been able to run the exams, we would have had a whole heap more (queries).”

Teachers had input into how students were assessed as they were regarded as having the best insight into how students were performing.

Students were invited to submit a statement on how the year had affected them.

“There were kids who experienced some very, very difficult circumstances and challenging times who may not have wanted to broadcast that to others,” Mr Gniel said.

“They were provided with an opportunity in confidence to provide that to a small group of people at the school, generally the principal and the student welfare co-ordinator, those people who know the student the best.”

The information, school assessed work and exams were part of 830,000 pieces of information used to arrive at the results which Mr Gniel were not far off last year.

[e-mail]

@ashargoon